Mini-Passage #5 - Main Point

[Legalistic]

Hello,

In the 2019 RC Bible page 252, the passage about Socialist Realism is giving me a bit of trouble. Initially, I wasn't able to understand the MP of the passage, I just thought there were too many things going on which confused me. I thought it'd be better if I broke down the passage into a little arrow-like diagram that would highlight important points and help me figure out the main point of the passage.

Art ----> heavily regulated (only reflecting a positive economy) ----> inefficient resource distribution ----> mockery of "revolutionary world" reflected in the art

MP: Seemed like answer choice D to me. With "conformity to the state doctrine", it seemed to be referring to the circulation of positive art, which was conforming to socialism and communism as stated in lines 4-9. And "led to an ostensibly truthful representation of reality in its revolutionary development." referred to the disconnect between reality and fiction (increasingly inefficient resource distribution was the reality of daily life, as opposed to the positive images as reflected in art). Would the reason why E is correct be because it mentions the political objectives of socialist realism being impeded, which seems to underlie the passage? And, is there anything wrong with my explanation for D, one that I can use to discount it?

Thank you for your response in advance!

[Adam Tyson]

Try looking at the passage's overall structure for a moment, Legalistic. Do that by describing in very simple terms what each paragraph did. Not what it said - don;t get caught in the details - but what it did in the overall structure of the passage. Here's how I see it:

Paragraph 1: This is what Socialist Realism was trying to do

Paragraph 2: It backfired

There's a lot more to it, obviously, but that's how this mini passage is built. Someone tried to accomplish a certain goal, but ultimately they screwed it up and got the opposite of what they intended. Their attempt to support a position ended up undermining that very position.

Once you have the structure, stripped of those annoying and distracting details, the Main Point emerges! Answer E looks much more obviously correct, and answer D's shortcomings (no reference to getting the opposite result, just that the movement led to something truthful) are readily apparent.

Try approaching all RC passages that way, with an eye towards the big picture structure, and you may find that you are less likely to get lost and confused.